Maroon 5 performer goes shirtless in Super Bowl show, but people question double standard

It's been 15 years since the infamous "nipplegate" involving Janet Jackson spawned backlash but when Adam Levine took his shirt off last night, nobody complained

Dawn Onley

Feb 4, 2019

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Janet Jackson fans took to social media on Sunday to question to point out the apparent irony of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine going bare chested during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show Sunday night, while Janet Jackson was slammed for a wardrobe malfunction accident during her Super Bowl XXXVIII set with Justin Timberlake in 2004.

During the show, Levine, 39, took off his shirt while playing guitar, leaving plenty of people across social media questioning the double standard, according to PEOPLE.

Jackson, 52, was smeared and blackballed after Timberlake went to remove her corset and accidentally exposed her breast. Although Timberlake and Jackson issued apologies, the Federal Communications Commission slapped CBS with a $550,000 indecency fine for the incident, referred to as “Nipplegate.”

Before Timberlake performed at the 2018 Super Bowl, he said both he and Jackson made amends, although Jackson has not been invited back to perform at another Super Bowl.

Last night’s performance by Adam Levine appeared to open new wounds.

So Adam Levine can perform shirtless but Janet Jackson can’t? This is so very wrong haha. #PepsiHalftime

— I am me (@atari2600yeah) February 4, 2019

This sentiment was shared by many others.

Super Bowl halftime nipple rules feel inconsistent

— Katie Nolan (probably) (@katienolan) February 4, 2019

Janet Jackson showed a nipple and the country went nuts. She had to move to Bahrain for 10 years. #AdamLevine just went full on shirtless. Guess he’s gonna have to move to Riyadh #superbowl https://t.co/9Dzjj1T3tO

— MazJobrani (@MazJobrani) February 4, 2019

https://twitter.com/Jaredlikescoffe/status/1092234228123688961

https://twitter.com/aliciabwhitman/status/1092235024848617472

In addition to Levine, Travis Scott and Big Boi also performed during the halftime show, along with local musicians Equinox Percussion and the Voice of Atlanta gospel choir. Maroon 5 played earlier hits from old albums, such as “Harder to Breathe” and “This Love,” but when they played “Moves Like Jagger,” Levine went bare-chested.

“No one thought about it more than I did,” Levine told Entertainment Tonight Thursday ahead of the Super Bowl. “No one put more thought and love into this than I did.”